


I think I like you (like that?)

by nekosd43



Series: Tumblr Requests [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Ace Magnus, Asexual Character, Falling In Love, Fluff, IPRE, Just cute shit, M/M, Mixed Signals, Relationship Advice, Tumblr Prompt, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 14:48:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11164116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekosd43/pseuds/nekosd43
Summary: This was new to Magnus.Making friends had always been easy.  He had a big personality and a big heart that he loved to fill with people he cared about.  Back home, he had lots of friends.  And people got it.  Magnus Burnsides was not interested in relationships like that.  He wanted friendship.  He wanted to fill his heart up with deep and meaningful friendships that meant everything to him.Being on the Starblaster made that hard for him.---A cute story about a young Ace Magnus realizing he has feelings for Taako, and Taako realizing he is very bad at flirting.





	I think I like you (like that?)

**Author's Note:**

> This was a tumblr request! I took a couple at @nd43taags, and I liked how this one turned out but I forgot to crosspost it. Send me HCs, I may write something!

This was new to Magnus.

Making friends had always been easy.  He had a big personality and a big heart that he loved to fill with people he cared about.  Back home, he had lots of friends.  People he held close, and people he loved to spend time with.  And even though it was sometimes a shock to others, most people understood that all he wanted was  _ that _ love.  That friendship with people was everything.  Women would flirt with him, and he would awkwardly and politely decline.  Men would ask him out for drinks, and he would laugh and let them know he would only drink with friends.  And people got it.  Magnus Burnsides was not interested in relationships like that.  He wanted friendship.  He wanted to fill his heart up with deep and meaningful friendships that meant everything to him.

Being on the Starblaster made that hard for him.

Though he got the opportunity to meet many people all over the multiverse, it was only for a year.  Making meaningful friendships when you knew you would never see the person again made it hard.  

 

Of course, there were the other members of the crew.

A constant, and persistent friendship of convenience.  They had no idea how long they would be together, but they realized pretty quickly that being friends was going to be the only thing that kept them sane.  And so Magnus found himself in the most intimate friendship of all with six other people.  After a few years, you know  _ everything _ about each other.  They became a family because they had to, and for a time, it was perfect for Magnus.

Davenport was like a dad to all of them, giving advice and settling disputes with as much tact and sympathy as he could manage.  Magnus trusted him to always tell him the truth about difficult situations, and in turn Magnus knew that Davenport would always listen to his concerns.

Lucretia took up the position of team mom most days.  She was a great listener, and always wanted to know how people felt and what could be done to make things better.  She tried to make the best out of every terrible situation, and Magnus admired that about her.

Merle was a doting grandfather or uncle, picking up on subtle mood shifts in the crew and doing his best to smooth things over.  Of all the crew, Magnus felt like Merle understood him the best.  He valued companionship, and Magnus valued him.

Barry was a brother to him.  Awkward and affectionate, he was always available to lend a hand or ear when needed.  Magnus knew he could tell Barry anything without judgement.

Lup was like a wild older sister, doting and manic in her energy, but loving in everything she did.  Magnus felt like she was a bit intense, but knew she would have his back when he needed it.

Taako…

Taako was a mystery to Magnus.

Of all the crew, Taako was the hardest one for him to deal with.  Everyone else had settled into this comfortable family, but Taako held everyone at arm’s length.  Which was  _ maddening _ .  Being trapped together for what could possibly be eternity, and not wanting to get to know the people you were trapped with?  It frustrated Magnus.

Taako’s interactions frustrated him even more.

“Hey there big guy,” Taako laughed, walking past Magnus in the hallway, “You working out?”

“Yeah I just got done,” Magnus would respond.

“Cool cool cooooool,” Taako answered, “Cool.”

What did that even mean?

 

“He’s flirting with you, Maggie.  Badly.”  Lup was helping Magnus with his nails.  He figured, if anyone would understand Taako it would be his twin sister.  She brushed another coat of scarlet onto his thumbnail.  “He’s terrible at flirting on a good day but I imagine it’s falling on deaf ears with you.”

“Flirting?” Magnus asked, “Like, he likes me?”

“I mean, sometimes he flirts just because,” Lup shrugged.  “It’s like, his awkward tic.  Some people stutter when they’re nervous.  Taako flirts.”

“Oh.”

“At any rate, tell him to stop if he’s making you uncomfortable,” Lup concluded.  “He’s too dense to notice.”

It wasn’t  _ uncomfortable _ , it was  _ confusing _ .  Taako refusing to get close while also showing signs of affection?  Magnus didn’t get it.  But at the same time, he liked the interaction, awkward as it was.  Taako was actually talking to him, something that he usually didn’t do.

“So uh, nice planet we got here!” Taako would say.  “Good planet!  Great.  Love it.”

“Yeah it seems nice,” Magnus would respond.  “You want to check it out together?”

“No no noooo, uh, Taako’s good out here.”

Confusing.

 

“Have you tried spending time with him?” Barry asked, helping Magnus set up camp on the surface.  “He’s a lot less awkward when you get to know him better.”

“I’ve tried but he runs off any time I suggest it,” Magnus sighed.

“Yeah you kinda have to force interactions on him,” Barry admitted.  “He’s like a skittish cat.  You should try hanging out in the kitchen with him, he likes to cook.  Maybe he’ll feel more comfortable talking to you there.”

So Magnus spent his evenings in the mess, working on a puzzle.  It was a jigsaw he brought from home, one of those nightmare ones with a thousand tiny potion bottles on it and a billion pieces.  He was never any good at puzzles, but he figured it would keep him busy… for a while.  Now that they had forever, he had all the time in the world.

“Whatcha doing?”

Magnus looked up to see Taako entering the kitchen.  He smiled, and motioned for Taako to sit at the table with him.  “It’s a puzzle.”

“Oh fuck, this one looks like a doozy,” Taako laughed, looking at the box.

“Well when I got it I thought it would have to last me a few months…” Magnus chuckled in response.  “Turns out it’s hard enough to last forever.”

Taako grabbed a piece from the box and placed it in the puzzle on the first try.

“Whoa, are you good at puzzles?” Magnus asked.

“I’m not a big picture person,” Taako said.  “I’m detail oriented.”

Magnus smiled.  That was something he didn’t know before.

“You hungry?” Taako asked.  “I’ll make us some brain food.”

 

“You just have to keep at it Mags,” Davenport said.  “Taako likes you, I’m sure he’d love to be your friend.  He’s just… terrible at talking about feelings.”

“Why does he make it so hard?” Magnus asked, handing Davenport a wrench.  “Why does he have to be so… secretive with everything?”

Davenport takes the wrench, and climbs down under the console.  “Not everyone is comfortable opening themselves up.  Everyone has different experiences.  You’ve got to be patient with him.”

And Magnus was patient.

They made the puzzle a weekly thing when they could.  With Taako helping, it was going much faster for Magnus.  And while they worked, Magnus would ask him questions.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Purple.”

“What’s your favorite animal?”

“Mongoose.”

Magnus found that asking direct questions worked really well for Taako.  If left to make conversation, Taako got nervous and started to fumble.  But if asked something, he answered quickly and directly.  It was working really well.  Taako stopped being awkward in the hallway when he saw Magnus.  Magnus spent time coming up with questions to ask Taako when they hung out.

“What’s the best flavor of candy?”

“Lemon.”

“You’re a madman!”

“Look, I know what I like, and I like sour shit.”

“Okay okay… Favorite time of day?”

“This one?”

Taako put his hand on Magnus’.

 

“I mean, all signs point to him having a crush on you,” Lucretia said, grabbing a book off the stack.

“But like, what do I  _ do _ about it?” Magnus cried, shifting the stack in his arms.

“Do you not like it?” Lucretia asked.

“ _ I don’t know? _ ” Magnus sighed.  “I thought we were getting close as friends but this is-”

“Does it make you uncomfortable?”

Magnus thought about it.  In the past, when he realized people were trying to flirt with him, he simply rebuked them.  He wasn’t interested.  But Taako…  He didn’t want to push Taako away.  He didn’t want to make Taako sad.

“I guess… no?” Magnus replied, “Like, I don’t know what to do about it, but I don’t  _ hate _ it?”

“So don’t do anything,” Lucretia shrugged.

So Magnus let it continue.

“What’s your favorite dessert to bake?”

“Macarons, hands down.”

“Favorite dessert to  _ eat _ ?”

“Shit Maggie that’s hard… Uuuh… Tiramisu?”

“Favorite dessert to watch  _ other people _ eat?”

“Chocolate Souffle… hey Magnus?”

“Mm?”

“Can I ask  _ you _ a question?”

“Sure.”

“What is this?  What am I to you?”

Magnus didn’t know how to answer.

 

“You’re friends, right?” Merle replied, “So say it.”

“No I… Something feels wrong about that,” Magnus admitted, trying a vine to the trellis.  “I don’t know if he sees me as a friend.”

“He wasn’t asking you that though,” Merle replied, handing Magnus another handful of twine.  “He was asking what  _ you _ see him as.  So friend is the right answer.”

Magnus paused.  “...Is it?”

“Magnus, you’ve never shown interest in dating before,” Merle said, putting his hand on Magnus’ shoulder.  “Is it possible you’ve got feelings for Taako?  Feelings more than just being really good friends?”

“How would I even know?” Magnus asked.

“Well, tell me about how you feel.”

“I like spending time with him,” Magnus began.  “I like listening to him when he talks.  I like being with him?  I guess I like having him nearby?  Like, I feel happier when I see him?  And I want to tell him everything about me.  I want to spend the rest of our lives talking to him.”

“Magnus,” Merle laughed, “ _ You’re  _ the one who has a crush!”

“No I!” Magnus stuttered, “I like to spend time with everyone!”

“Yeah but do you want to tell me all your deepest secrets and spend forever talking to me?” Merle chuckled.  “It’s okay Magnus.  This is new for you.  But I think you kinda love the guy?  Which is wonderful because I think he loves you too!  You idiots have been going past each other for  _ years _ .  Maybe it’s time to just  _ say it. _ ”

Magnus had no idea what to do with this information.

Never in his life had he liked someone  _ like that _ .  And it wasn’t… like  _ that. _  He didn’t want to kiss Taako or anything.  But the idea of maybe spending every night together at the table, holding hands and  _ talking _ … sounded like the best thing in the world to Magnus.

It sounded like something he could do forever.

The night they finished the puzzle, Taako looked over the box with a frown.

“Well it took us a few  _ years _ , but we got it done,” he laughed.  “Guess that’s it for Taako/Magnus date night?”

Magnus blushed.

“I-I….” he stammered, “Can we get another puzzle maybe?”

“I mean maybe the next planet we’ll go to will have invented the jigsaw,” Taako said, looking over the finished puzzle with a frown.  “That’ll be a couple months though.”

“Idon’twanttostophangingout,” Magnus blurted.

“...What?”

“I want to keep hanging out,” Magnus sighed.  “I think… I think it’s the  _ only  _ thing I ever want to do?  I want to be near you and with you and working on puzzles and talking and-”

“Wait wait wait…” Taako interrupted.  “Is this… are you saying you  _ like _ me?”  Magnus nodded, and Taako gave a sigh of relief.  “Oh my  _ gods _ I’ve been trying to dance around this for years.”

“What?”

“Magnus of course I want to hang out with you,” Taako explained, “I’m like, majorly in love with you.  But I thought you weren’t  _ interested _ .”

“But I like spending time with you?” Magnus replied.

“As a  _ friend _ , but I thought the only reason you were doing it was the puzzle,” Taako admitted.  “I’ve been removing pieces from it in the middle of the night for  _ years _ just so we can spend more time on it together.”

“You… you want to spend time with me?” Magnus laughed.

“Fuck yes I do,” Taako cried, “You actually  _ listen _ to me and you’re fun to be around and you laugh at my dumb jokes.  But you were sending me all kinds of mixed signals and-”

“Taako.”  Magnus took Taako’s hand with a smile.  “I have never  _ liked _ anyone the way I like you.  I literally had no idea.  I’ve never  _ liked _ anyone.  This is new to me.”

“You’re…” Taako looked Magnus over and smiled.  “Of course.  Of course!  I just got it.  You like me!”

“I  _ like _ you!”

“I  _ like _ you too Magnus!”

“I’m so bad at this,” Magnus laughed, putting a hand to his cheek, “I don’t even know what to do now.”

“Well… it seems like you’ve got a hold of my hand,” Taako giggled.  “Can I ask you to hold my other one?”

Magnus smiled and held out his palm for Taako to take.  “Can I… can I ask you for a hug?” Magnus asked.

Taako nodded and leaned in, letting Magnus wrap his arms around him.

“Can I…” Taako hesitated.  “Kiss you?”

Magnus frowned, unsure.

“Let me revise my statement,” Taako said.  “May I kiss you on the  _ cheek _ ?”

“Yes,” Magnus smiled, and Taako leaned in to give him a gentle kiss.

“I think… I think this is going to be okay,” Taako hummed.

“Well we’ve got  _ forever _ to figure it out,” Magnus laughed.

It wasn’t forever.

But they enjoyed every moment of it.


End file.
